"Denys Watkins-Pitchford, who described it as ""the greatest animal story ever written"". The book has led to Britain's Tarka Trail and to the establishment of the Tarka Country Tourism Authority in North Devon. In 1978 Sir David Attenborough narrated an audiobook version of the story, released as a double audio cassette. The novel has been adapted into a film: ""Tarka the Otter"". In 1974, Williamson began working on a script for a film treatment of the novel, but it was not regarded as suitable to film. Having previously rejected two separate offers from Walt Disney, Henry finally accepted an offer"
"the time the book was published, otters were generally regarded as vermin, but ""Tarka"" (and more specifically its later film adaptation) is credited with inspiring a transformation in public attitudes to otters. The book remains well-known, and is often used to promote the area of North Devon where it is set. The Tarka Line railway line to Barnstaple, and Tarka Trail long distance footpath and cycle path, are named after the book. Although Williamson's reputation as a writer was affected in the wake of his support for Oswald Mosley and many of his works are now little read, ""Tarka"" has"
"failed water quality tests in 2012, one of only sixteen beaches in the South West to fail. A Nature Improvement Area proposed to protect and enhance the catchment of the River Torridge—home of Tarka the Otter in Henry Williamson's book of the same name—was chosen by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) as one of twelve nationally important landscapes which will receive funding to restore and recreate ecosystems in the area. Other large projects work to use the natural environment to offset the negative impacts of human activities within the Biosphere. The predominant farm type in Devon"
"Great Torrington Great Torrington (often abbreviated to Torrington, though the villages of Little Torrington and Black Torrington are situated in the same region) is a small market town in the north of Devon, England. Parts of it are sited on high ground with steep drops down to the River Torridge below, with the lower-lying parts of the town prone to occasional flooding. Torrington is in the centre of Tarka Country, a landscape captured by Henry Williamson in his novel ""Tarka the Otter"" in 1927. Great Torrington has one of the most active volunteering communities in the United Kingdom. There were"
"wanders around North Devon alone. His first mate is an elderly otter called Greymuzzle, who is killed during Tarka's first winter, which is unusually harsh. In his second year, he fathers a litter of cubs with his second mate, White-tip. Throughout the book Williamson juxtaposes Tarka with his main enemy, the local otter hunt, and particularly the pied hound Deadlock, ""the truest marking-hound in the country of the Two Rivers"" (p. 23). The book ends with a climactic nine-hour hunt of Tarka by the pack, and a confrontation between Tarka and Deadlock. Williamson's attitude to the hunt is somewhat ambivalent:"
"in Blantyre, Scotland. The following species have been named in honour of David Livingstone: Livingstone has been portrayed by M.A. Wetherell in ""Livingstone"" (1925), Percy Marmont in ""David Livingstone"" (1936), Sir Cedric Hardwicke in ""Stanley and Livingstone"" (1939), Bernard Hill in ""Mountains of the Moon"" (1990) and Sir Nigel Hawthorne in the TV movie ""Forbidden Territory"" (1997). The 1949 comedy film ""Africa Screams"" is the story of a dimwitted clerk named Stanley Livington (played by Lou Costello), who is mistaken for a famous African explorer and recruited to lead a treasure hunt. The character's name appears to be a play"
"Tarka Line The Tarka Line is a railway line from Exeter to Barnstaple in Devon, England. The line follows the River Creedy, River Yeo and River Taw for some of its route. At Coleford Junction there is a branch to Okehampton known as the Dartmoor Railway. It takes its name from Henry Williamson's book ""Tarka the Otter"". ""Communities served: Exeter – Newton St. Cyres – Crediton – Yeoford – Copplestone – Morchard Bishop – Lapford – Eggesford – King's Nympton – Umberleigh – Tawstock – Barnstaple"" Parts of the line are single track, meaning that trains travelling in opposite directions"
"by Jack London as well as John Steinbeck's """". The Book of the Month Club offered as a selection his book ""The Champion of Sourwood Mountain"". A mule named Kate would follow Clark and his friends to school. After the mule was arrested for trespassing, he and his classmates collected enough money to get the animal released on bail. Walt Disney Studios purchased the rights to his book about the mule, titled ""Goodbye Kate"", which has yet to be made into a film by the time of Clark's death. The University of Tennessee Press published his novel ""By Way of"
"he had been asked to kill a serpent-type animal which escaped from a ship in the Thames and roamed the woods round the manor of Herongate and the church, terrifying the people. He managed to slay it, chopping of its head, but he died from his exertions. His son, looking for him, trod on a bone of the animal and, gangrene setting in, he lost his leg. There is a glass window at Heron depicting a one-legged man. The legend has recently been reworked in comic book form in ""London Falling"". The second legend is that Queen Anne Boleyn's head"
"after the otter in Henry Williamson's book ""Tarka the Otter"" which is set in the area. It is one of the railway lines supported by the Devon and Cornwall Rail Partnership, an organisation formed in 1991 to promote railway services in the area. The line is promoted by many means such as regular timetable and scenic line guides, as well as leaflets highlighting leisure opportunities such as walking or visiting country pubs. The Tarka Line rail ale trail was launched in 2002, the first of several such schemes which encourages rail travellers to visit pubs near the line. The trail"
"Beast of Exmoor The Beast of Exmoor is a cryptozoological felid (see phantom cat) that is reported to roam the fields of Exmoor in Devon and Somerset in the United Kingdom. There have been numerous reports of eyewitness sightings, however the official Exmoor National Park website lists the beast under ""Traditions, Folklore, and Legends"", and the BBC calls it ""the famous-yet-elusive beast of Exmoor."" Sightings were first reported in the 1970s, although it became notorious in 1983, when a South Molton farmer claimed to have lost over 100 sheep in the space of three months, all of them apparently killed"
"path uses sections of the river towpath and abandoned railway tracks, and has been opened in stages, with the final being completed in September 2008. The path is now part of Route 1 of the National Cycle Network and features a number of sculptures along its length, each commissioned from local artists. They include Lincoln longwool sheep at Stixwould, Lincoln Red cows at Washingborough, and Lincoln curly pigs, which became extinct in 1972, at Southrey. The name ""Witham"" seems to be extremely old, apparently predating Anglo-Saxon, Roman, and even Celtic influence. The meaning is not known. Archaeological evidence points to"
"and takes in along the route such villages and towns as Bere Regis, Lulworth Cove, Corfe Castle, Shaftesbury, Evershot and the county town, Dorchester. Hardy Way The Hardy Way is a waymarked long-distance footpath in southern England in the United Kingdom. The route runs for 354 km or 220 miles. The route is named for the writer Thomas Hardy and runs through Thomas Hardy's Wessex, his version of Wessex, the region of the West Country of England portrayed in his books, such as ""Tess of the d'Urbervilles"", ""The Mayor of Casterbridge"", ""Far From the Madding Crowd"", ""Jude the Obscure"" and"
"Super Furry Animals, named after the Roman road, appearing on their Welsh language album ""Mwng"". ""Sarn Helen"" is also the title of a 1997 sequence of poems by English poet John Wilkinson, named after the Roman road. <br> Sarn Helen Sarn Helen refers to several stretches of Roman road in Wales. The route, which follows a meandering course through central Wales, connects Aberconwy in the north with Carmarthen in the west. Despite its length, academic debate continues as to the precise course of the Roman road. Many sections are now used by the modern road network while other parts are"
"Exe Valley Way and Celtic Way Exmoor Option. For others, although the hunting of animal with hounds was made illegal by the Hunting Act 2004, the Exmoor hunts still meet in full regalia and there is a campaign to resurrect this rural sport. Nine hunts cover the area – the Devon and Somerset Staghounds and the Quantock Staghounds, the Exmoor, Dulverton West, Dulverton Farmers and West Somerset Foxhounds, the Minehead Harriers, the West Somerset Beagles and the North Devon Beagles. During the spring, amateur steeplechase meetings (point-to-points) are run by hunts at temporary courses such as Bratton Down and Holnicote."
"while admiring them for their own regard for and knowledge of the otter, and despite being personally friendly with his local hunt, the violence and cruelty of some of his descriptions of hunting is clear. Locations featured in the book include Braunton Burrows, the clay pits at Marland, Morte Point, Hoar Oak Water and the Chains. The book begins and ends in the vicinity of Torrington. Williamson wrote with a descriptive style which some, such as Ted Hughes, have characterised as poetic: in his memorial address for Williamson, quoted by Roger Deakin in his book ""Waterlog"", Hughes described him as"
"The Belstone Fox The Belstone Fox is a 1973 British film directed by James Hill, and based on David Rook's 1970 novel. The Belstone Fox is the nickname given to Tag, a fox cub rescued from the woods and adopted by huntsman Asher. The young fox is reared in captivity with a litter of hound puppies, including Merlin, with whom Tag becomes especially friendly. Asher and Tod are fascinated by Tag, who combines cool cunning and knowledge of human habitation to lead the pack and hunters in many a ""merry chase."" This gives the fox a status of local celebrity"
"Fox Tor Fox Tor is a relatively minor tor on Dartmoor in the county of Devon, England. On the flank of the tor, about 500 m to the north stands Childe's Tomb - according to local legend, the last resting place of Childe the Hunter, an unfortunate traveller who died there during a blizzard. About 800 m. NNE of the tor lie the remains of Foxtor Farm, which was used by Eden Phillpotts as one of the main settings of his 1904 novel ""The American Prisoner"", and in a subsequent early ""talkie"" film, made in 1929. Occupancy of Fox tor"
"by the Sussex Border Path and the Serpent Trail. The secluded sunken lane that runs from Haslemere past Aldworth is named Tennyson's Lane in memory of the poet. It is little changed from Arthur Paterson's description in 1905: Trees meet overhead, copsewood surrounds it, and later, it is hedged by high sandy banks thickly overgrown with plant and scrub; squirrels and rabbits, and all other small woodland creatures, disport themselves over it. It twists and turns, and to the stranger appears to lead nowhere in particular. The acid sandstone of Blackdown limits the range of plants. Until the beginning of"
"of Big Learner Relay 2017 which has raised over £300,000 for the BBC Children in Need appeal since 2014. Louise Walsh the inspiration behind the BLR has been awarded the prime minister's points of light award which recognises outstanding individual volunteers. In 1995 Mr William Middleton, a warden at the park, was crushed and paralysed due to a faulty elephant enclosure. Mr Middleton died 12 years later due to complications caused by his injuries. Situated around Knowsley Hall on the ancestral estate of the Earl of Derby, the reserve is home to many different animals including elephants, giraffes, lions, bongos,"
"to make the film from noted English wildlife documentary film-maker David Cobham, whom he trusted. The movie, narrated by Peter Ustinov, was released in 1979, with a screenplay by Gerald Durrell. One of Williamson's sons, Richard, and his daughter-in-law appear in the film. It was voted the 98th greatest family film in a Channel 4 poll. The soundtrack for the film was composed by David Fanshawe and performed by Tommy Reilly. Tarka the Otter ""Tarka the Otter: His Joyful Water-Life and Death in the Country of the Two Rivers"" is a highly influential novel by Henry Williamson, first published in"
"deer hunt of this type was recorded in the medieval romance ""Sir Gawain and the Green Knight"". The native Red Deer (Cervus elaphus) and later introduced Fallow Deer (Dama dama) are suited for enclosure in deer parks however European Roe Deer (Capreolus capreolus) are not as they are aggressive towards other deer. Fallow Deer were introduced by the Normans from Sicily, probably in the early twelfth century. Near Parkmill Farm on Parkmoor (NS 4425 2693), Tarbolton in South Ayrshire is a complex system of interlinking deep trenches running down to the Water of Fail that were given the name 'Roman"
"is from her first litter and is approximately six years old. Broken Tail was given international publicity in a film made about his life. He left the park area and traveled from Ranthambore to Darra, where he was killed by a train while crossing the railway tracks. The documentary film called ""Broken Tail"" features his last journey and has been shown worldwide on many TV channels, including BBC, PBS, CBC, and RTÉ among others, and won the top awards at two of the world's most prestigious wildlife film festivals. T - 25 also known as Dollar male or Zalim is"
"Charlotte Moreton's ""White Horse"" (2010) in Solstice Park, Amesbury. The White Horse is used as a symbol by diverse organisations (mostly with Oxfordshire or Berkshire connections) and appears in numerous works of literature, visual art and music. The White Horse is the emblem of the Vale of White Horse District Council, the Berkshire Yeomanry (a Territorial Army unit based in Windsor, Reading and Chertsey), and educational establishments including Faringdon Community College and The Ridgeway Primary School in Whitley, Berkshire. Thomas Hughes, the author of ""Tom Brown's Schooldays"", who was born in the nearby village of Uffington, wrote a book called"
"Bampton. It became a separate ecclesiastical parish in 1857, known as Bampton Lew. The parish was united with Bampton in 1917, and since 1976 has formed part of the benefice of Bampton with Clanfield. Lew was made a separate civil parish in 1866. The Church of England parish church of the Holy Trinity was designed in a 13th-century style by the architect William Wilkinson and built in 1841. The parish is a mix of arable land and pasture with small woodlands such as Lew Gorse. There are species of persecuted mammal in the area including dog walkers roe deer, muntjac"
"in the centre of which lies a prostrate stone, about the length of a man. A pathway leads up to the 'donkey' from the circle."""" The figure subsequently became known as Mrs Wiltshires Donkey. Whilst Wiltshire stated the hill figure resided on Tan Hill, another, later source states the figure resided on a ""medium steep slope between Tan Hill and Ryebury Camp"". Many searches were made for the stone circle and the white horse, which, after it is said to have become overgrown in 1964 with its legs disappearing, seemed to fade very soon after 1975. None proved successful until"
"The Hound of the Baskervilles (2002 film) The Hound of the Baskervilles is a 2002 television adaptation of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's novel of the same name. Sherlock Holmes and his companion Dr. Watson investigate the case of an attempted murder inspired by the legend of a fearsome, diabolical hound of supernatural origin on Dartmoor in Devon in England's West Country. Produced by Tiger Aspect Productions, this was the third adaptation of the tale for the BBC, it was shown on BBC One on Boxing Day, 2002. It was directed by David Attwood, and adapted by Allan Cubitt. The film"
"Twrch Trwyth Twrch Trwyth (; also Trwyd, Troynt (); Troit (); or Terit ()) is an enchanted wild boar in the Matter of Britain that King Arthur or his men pursued with the aid of Arthur's dog Cavall (, ). The names of the hound and boar are glimpsed in a piece of geographical onomasticon composed in Latin in the ninth century, the ""Historia Brittonum"". However, a richly elaborate account of the great hunt appears in the Welsh prose romance ""Culhwch and Olwen"", probably written around 1100. A passing reference to Twrch Trwyth also occurs in the elegy ""Gwarchan Cynfelyn"""
"a medieval Welsh poem ""Pa Gwr"" in the ""Black Book of Carmarthen"" which mentions a ""Cath Palug"", meaning ""Palug's cat"" or ""clawing cat"", which roamed Anglesey until slain by Cei. In the Welsh Triads, it was the offspring of the monstrous sow ""Henwen"". A Canadian lynx shot in Devon in 1903 is now in the collection of the Bristol Museum. Analysis of its teeth suggest that prior to its death it had spent a significant amount of time in captivity. In 1980 a puma was captured in Inverness-shire, Scotland. The capture followed several years of sightings in the area of"
"National Nature Reserve and the Slimbridge Wildfowl Trust. River shingle habitat can also be found on the lower estuary, notable for its population of the endangered 5-spot Ladybird. The River Severn is named several times in A.E. Housman's ""A Shropshire Lad"" (1896): ""It dawns in Asia, tombstones show/And Shropshire names are read;/And the Nile spills his overflow/Beside the Severn's dead"" (“1887""); ""Severn stream"" (“The Welsh Marches""); and ""Severn shore"" (“Westward from the high-hilled plain...”). In William Shakespeare's ""Henry IV, Part 1"", Henry Hotspur Percy recalls the valor of Edmund Mortimer, 5th Earl of March in a long battle against Welshman"
"Henry Williamson Henry William Williamson (1 December 1895 – 13 August 1977) was an English army officer, naturalist, farmer, and writer known for his novels on natural and social history, and his advocacy of ruralism. He won the Hawthornden Prize for literature in 1928 with his book ""Tarka the Otter"". Henry Williamson was born in Brockley in south-east London. In early childhood his family moved to Ladywell, and he received a grammar school education at Colfe's School. The then semi-rural location provided easy access to the Kent countryside, and he developed a deep love of nature throughout his childhood. On"
"the neurotic Wendell T. Wolf, the last surviving Tasmanian wolf. ""Tiger Tale"" is a children's book based on an Aboriginal myth about how the thylacine got its stripes. The thylacine character Rolf is featured in the extinction musical ""Rockford's Rock Opera"". The thylacine is the mascot for the Tasmanian cricket team, and has appeared in postage stamps from Australia, Equatorial Guinea, and Micronesia. ""The Hunter"" is a novel by Julia Leigh about an Australian hunter who sets out to find the last thylacine. The novel has been adapted into a 2011 film by the same name directed by Daniel Nettheim,"
"entirely following an alleged rape incident on 12 March 2005. A trial reopening period began on 26 March 2007. Cuckoo Trail The Cuckoo Trail is a footpath and cycleway which runs from Hampden Park to Heathfield in East Sussex. It passes through the towns of Polegate and Hailsham, as well as the villages of Hellingly and Horam. The Trail largely follows the route of a disused railway line, the Cuckoo Line, which opened in 1880 and ran between Eridge and Polegate railway stations, creating a direct route between Eastbourne and London. It obtained its name from the tradition that the"